JPH10295751A - Air cell and manufacture thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make the structure around an attaching part smaller and simpler, by making an extending direction in the midway of expanding from a contracted state to be shifted into an oblique direction to extend in a curve. SOLUTION: In opposite half areas of the outer periphery of an air cell 1, the forming number of bellows in one area is made larger than that of the other area, for instance, about five for one and about two for the other. Thereby the air cell 1 is made not rotation symmetric around the center axis, and, on the other hand, ones which do not make a round of the cell outer periphery are included in ridges in the convex side and the concave side in circumferential direction in the bellow in the area. Consequently, when air is supplied to the air cell 1 for extending, the extension of the area with small number of bellows is small to curve to the direction. Thereby, when both sides of a leg 11 supported by a concave part 10 of a massaging machine are clamped to be finger-pressed, the mounting position of the air cell is not restricted to make the structure smaller and simpler.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an air cell and a method for manufacturing the air cell.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a massage machine which can perform a massage operation such as acupressure, fir, hit, etc. by using an air cell which can be expanded and contracted by supplying and discharging air.
As this air cell, one having a balloon structure,
Some of them have a bellows structure on the cell periphery.

[0003] For example, a footrest provided in a chair-type massage machine has a pair of left and right leg recesses. In this type of footrest, the air cell is provided on opposing side surfaces in each recess and on the bottom surface in the recess. (See JP-A-8-89540). in this case,
In order to prevent the legs from being expelled from the concave portion when the air cell on the inner surface of the concave portion is inflated, the air cell provided on the opposite side surface in the concave portion should be located as far as possible from the bottom surface of the concave portion within the allowable range (the concave portion). (A part near the front of the leg supported by the above).

An air cell having a bellows structure is generally formed by blow molding, so that the bellows is normally in an extended state. Therefore, when such an air cell is used, when air is discharged from the air cell, it is necessary to provide a compression urging means made of a spring, rubber, or the like in order to contract the air cell.

[0005]

In the case of the footrest described above, the air cell provided on the opposite side surface in the recess needs to be kept away from the bottom surface in the recess, so that the footrest itself must be enlarged and bulky. was there. In addition, when an air cell is provided in such a portion, there is a disadvantage that the contact with the leg becomes unstable when the air cell is extended, and the acupressure effect cannot be sufficiently exerted.

In order to enhance the effect of preventing the legs from being expelled from the recess due to the expansion of the air cells on the bottom surface of the recess, the air cells provided on the bottom surface of the recess are inflated at a greater timing than the air cells provided on the opposite side surfaces of the recess. In some cases, it is necessary to control the delay.
Therefore, there is also a disadvantage that the control is complicated and complicated. On the other hand, in the case of an air cell having a bellows structure, the compression urging means for contraction is necessary as described above, and this also leads to an increase in the size of the structure around the air cell attachment portion in a footrest or the like. Was.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has a method of manufacturing an air cell in which a structure around an attachment portion can be reduced in size and simplification in a device using an air cell, such as a massage machine. Another object of the present invention is to provide an air cell which is particularly effective for solving problems in structure and control when used in a massage machine or the like.

[0008]

According to the present invention, the following technical measures have been taken in order to achieve the above object. That is, in the air cell according to the present invention, a curve expansion occurs in which the expansion direction changes obliquely during the expansion from the contracted state. Therefore, for example, if this air cell is provided on the opposite side surface in the concave portion of the footrest described above, initially, the finger supported in the concave portion starts finger pressure from the side surface, and gradually,
It can be used to shift to acupressure action directed to the bottom surface inside the recess.

In this case, the air cell has a function of pressing the leg against the bottom surface of the concave portion in accordance with the extension thereof, and the leg is not displaced from the concave portion.
Therefore, on the opposite side surface in the concave portion, the mounting position of the air cell can be arranged closer to the bottom surface in the concave portion,
There are advantages such as miniaturization and simplification of the structure as a footrest.

Further, even when the air cell is provided on the bottom surface in the concave portion, it is not necessary to perform a troublesome control such that the inflation timing is set to a predetermined delay relationship with the air cell provided on the opposite side surface in the concave portion. In addition to the case where the air cell is used for a footrest of a chair-type massage machine, this air cell can often eliminate various restrictions as a mounting structure thereof, and can exert a reliable and sufficient pressing force directed in an oblique direction. Therefore, it can be said that the versatility as an air cell can be improved accordingly.

As a structure for extending the curve of the air cell, the outer periphery of the cell is formed in a bellows structure, and a difference between the bellows on opposite sides of the cell in the extending direction is provided with a difference in allowable extension. Is the most concise. In order to provide a difference in the extension allowable amount, it is conceivable to adopt a structure in which the number of bellows formed is asymmetrical or a structure in which the wall thickness is different between opposing regions on both sides in the extension direction on the outer periphery of the cell. Can be

That is, the air cell having such a structure is as follows.
When air is supplied to the inside, the elongation is small in a region where the number of bellows is small or a region where the thickness is large, and conversely, the region is large in a region where the number of bellows is large or a region where the thickness is small. As another air cell according to the present invention, when the outer periphery of the cell is formed to have a bellows structure,
In some cases, the contracted state of the bellows is maintained as a normal state due to the properties of the cell forming material itself.

In this air cell, when the internal air is discharged, the air cell attempts to return to a contracted state by itself, so that it is not necessary to provide a compression urging means to the air cell. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size and simplify the structure around the mounting portion of the air cell, including the case of the above-described footrest. In the manufacturing method according to the present invention for obtaining an air cell in which the bellows is normally contracted, the bellows structure provided on the outer peripheral portion is formed into a shape in which the bellows is elongated, and first, a cell molded body is formed. And
While maintaining the cell compact at a predetermined temperature,
Shrink the bellows. Then, the cell compact is cooled while keeping the bellows in a reduced shape.

At the time of cooling, if a water tank capable of storing the cell molded body is used, a leak test of the air cell can be performed in parallel with or subsequent to the cooling step, and the manufacturing process of the air cell can be partially simplified. . In the above-mentioned molded cell, by making the number of bellows formed asymmetrical in opposite regions on both sides in the extension direction on the outer periphery of the cell, it is also possible to obtain an air cell capable of curve extension.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an air cell 1 according to the present invention.
1 shows a first embodiment. This air cell 1 is formed in a cylindrical shape with an outer peripheral surface having a bellows structure,
The expansion and contraction operation in the axial direction is enabled by supplying and discharging air to the inside.

In the air cell 1, the number of bellows formed in one area (5 on the left side in FIG. 1) and the number of bellows formed in the other area (FIG. 1) On the right). That is, the air cell 1 is not rotationally symmetrical about the central axis, and among the bellows in the region, those that do not make one round of the cell outer circumference at the concave and convex circumferential ridges are included. Will be.

Therefore, when air is supplied to the air cell 1 and the elongating operation is performed, the elongation is small in a region where the number of bellows is small, whereas the expansion is large in a region where the number of bellows is large. As the degree of elongation progresses, a curve elongation that is directed to one side (right side in FIG. 1) occurs during the elongation. In addition, as a material for forming the air cell 1, vinyl acetate or the like is used when a soft (soft) system is used based on various conditions such as required elastic strength, hardness, and use site. When a system is used, PP, PE, or the like is used. The thickness of the air cell 1 as a whole may be adjusted according to the required hardness.

The air cell 1 having such a configuration is used, for example, as a massage drive unit 4 provided for a footrest 3 of a chair-type massage machine 2 as shown in FIGS. In addition, this chair type massage machine 2
For reclining, the footrest 3 and the backrest 6 can swing with respect to the seating surface 5 automatically or manually, and in conjunction with each other or independently. The footrest 3 has a pair of left and right recesses 10 for inserting a leg by means of left and right side walls 7 and a separation hill 8 provided at the center of the both side walls 7. The legs 11 can be distributed and supported.

The massage driving unit 4 is provided on the inner surface facing the inside of the concave portion 10, and is provided on the inner bottom surface of the concave portion 10, and a first acupressure portion 12 for applying acupressure from the left and right sides around the ankle of the leg 11. A second acupressure part 13 is provided to abut the calf of the leg 11 from both the left and right sides. In the first acupressure part 12, the air cell 1 described above is provided between the side wall 7 and the separation hill 8 so as to face each other. These air cells 1 are mounted such that the direction of direction when the curve is extended is directed to the inner bottom surface of the concave portion 10.

Therefore, by extending each air cell 1 in the left-right direction synchronously, both sides of the leg 11 supported by the concave portion 10 are pressed in a pinching manner.
Is pressed against the inner bottom surface of the recess 10 simultaneously with the finger pressure. Therefore, during shiatsu, leg 11
Is kept in a stable state, and the leg 11 is not naturally expelled from the recess 10. Further, since the displacement of the legs 11 is prevented in this manner, the air cell 1
It can be mounted close to the inner bottom surface of the recess 1, so that the side wall 7 of the footrest 3 does not need to be unnecessarily high.

In the second acupressure part 13, a flexible and elastic oscillating piece 15 projecting to both sides with a central part in the width direction as a fixing part 14 is provided with left and right air cells 1 provided at its lower part.
It is made to be able to swing. Each air cell 1 is attached so that the directional direction at the time of extending the curve is directed to a direction in which the air cells 1 approach each other in the left-right direction. The acupressure piece 17 is provided at the swing end of each of the swing pieces 15.

Accordingly, by extending each air cell 1 in a left-right synchronous manner, both sides of the leg 11 supported by the concave portion 10 are pressed with a finger pressure in a pinched manner. At this time, Shiatsu piece 1
The finger pressure of the leg 11 is smoothly performed, and the finger pressure is stably and surely brought into contact with the acupressure point of the leg 11 so that a sufficient finger pressure can be developed. Of course, during acupressure, the leg 11 is in a stable state,
Of course, it will not be kicked out.

Although not shown, a third acupressure part for acupressure the ankle and calf of the leg 11 from the back side thereof may be provided on the inner bottom surface of the concave part 10 as the massage driving part 4. is there. In this case, the first acupressure part 1
2, the second acupressure part 13 and the third acupressure part may be operated independently, or may be operated with a predetermined interlocking relationship. In the case of interlocking, as described above, the first acupressure part 12 and the second acupressure part 13 both have the function of preventing the leg 11 from being dislodged from the concave part 10, and therefore, the first and second acupressure parts 12 and 13. It is possible to control so that air is supplied to the acupressure units 12, 13 and the third acupressure unit at the same time.

Advantages common to the first acupressure part 12 and the second acupressure part 13 are, in particular, that acupressure using air pressure does not cause excessive acupressure exceeding a predetermined pressure, and that the air cell 1 Is a cylindrical shape, so that expansion and contraction can be performed smoothly and efficiently. FIG.
Shows a second embodiment of the air cell 1 according to the present invention.

In the air cell 1 according to the second embodiment, the concavity and convexity H of the bellows in one region (left side in FIG. 5) is different from the bellows in the other region (right side in FIG. 5). Is formed larger than the unevenness amount h. That is, in the air cell 1, each bellows is formed eccentric toward one side. Therefore, when air is supplied to the air cell 1 and the elongating operation is performed, the elongation is small in the region where the smaller bellows unevenness amount h is set, and is increased in the region where the larger bellows unevenness amount H is set. Becomes large, causing curve elongation (pointing to the right in FIG. 5).

FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the air cell 1 according to the present invention. In the air cell 1 according to the third embodiment, among the opposing half-circumferential regions around the outer periphery,
The thickness t of the bellows in one region (left side in FIG. 6) is formed smaller than the thickness T of the bellows in the other region (right side in FIG. 6). Therefore, when the air cell 1 is supplied with air to perform the elongating operation, the elongation is large in the region of the thinner bellows thickness t, whereas the elongation is in the region of the thicker bellows thickness T. The curve lengthening (Fig. 6)
To the right).

FIG. 7 shows a fourth embodiment of the air cell 1 according to the present invention. In the air cell 1 according to the fourth embodiment, among the opposing semi-circumferential regions around the outer periphery,
One area (left side in FIG. 7) is provided with bellows, while the other area (right side in FIG. 7) is not provided with bellows. Therefore, when air is supplied to the air cell 1 to perform the elongation operation, the elongation hardly occurs in a region where the bellows are not provided, whereas the elongation occurs only in the region where the bellows are provided. FIG. 7 is directed to the right).

The air cell 1 of each of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 can be used as it is by replacing the air cell 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 as it is. ing. FIG. 8 shows another air cell 20 according to the present invention. The air cell 20 is in a normal state, that is, in a no-load state in which the air supply pressure is not acting, the contracted state is maintained by the properties of the forming material itself. That is, the air is forcibly expanded by supplying air to the inside, and automatically returns to the contracted state when the air is discharged.

In order to surely and promptly return to the contracted state at the time of air discharge, each bellows has a tapered surface portion 21 and a cylindrical cross section whose radial length is shorter than the tapered surface portion 21. A portion 22 is formed. The air cell 20 having such a configuration can be used as, for example, the third acupressure part provided on the inner bottom surface of the recess 10 in the case of the above-mentioned footrest 3 (see FIG. 2). In this case, since the air cell 20 self-contracts when the internal air is discharged, it is not necessary to provide a compression urging means. Therefore, there is an advantage that the footrest 3 can be miniaturized (thinned).

In order to manufacture the air cell 20, first, as shown in FIG.
Is molded as usual by, for example, blow molding. The bellows is contracted before the cell molded body 30 is cooled by breaking the temperature rise state of the predetermined temperature, and the bellows is immediately stored in the water tank 31. Therefore, the cell molded body 30 is
Inside, the bellows is kept in a contracted shape.

Then, after a short time (ie, while the temperature of the cell molded body 30 is maintained at a predetermined temperature), water is poured into the water tank 31 and each cell molded body is cooled. Cool 30. By doing so, it is possible to obtain the air cell 20 in which the bellows shrinks normally.
For example, in blow molding, generally, the surface temperature immediately after molding as the cell molded body 30 is about 200 ° C., but in the case of a vinyl acetate resin, this temperature is in the range of 60 ° C. to 80 ° C. around 70 ° C. Then, a state called "rubber fluidization", which is soft and convenient for processing such as deformation, is obtained. In the case of PE or PP, the range of 90 ° C to 110 ° C around 100 ° C corresponds to this.

Therefore, the high-temperature molded cell body 3 after molding is formed.
0 is blown with cooling air or cooling water at a predetermined temperature or allowed to cool to reach the above-mentioned suitable temperature. Then, after the bellows of the cell molded body 30 has been contracted, the cell body 30 may be immediately cooled to room temperature or lower in the water tank 31. The length at the time of molding (the bellows is extended) as the cell molded body 30 is 90
mm, the length to shrink the bellows is, for example, 20 mm
And However, regarding this size, the number of bellows formed, the cell diameter, the wall thickness, etc., are not limited at all.
It can be changed arbitrarily.

The water tank 31 is preferably formed to be long and thin so that a plurality of cell molded bodies 30 can be stored at one time.
Further, in each cell molded body 30, it is preferable that a nozzle portion 32 used as an air supply / discharge port when used as the air cell 20 is disposed so as to face upward in the water tank 31. In this way, the air cell 20 is
Before taking out from the inside, it is easy to supply air to each nozzle portion 32 to make it full (2 kgf / cm ² ), which can correspond to a leak test of internal air.

Therefore, the manufacturing process of the air cell 20 can be partially simplified. This air cell 20
The manufacturing method of the air cell 1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIGS.
Can be similarly performed. By the way, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

For example, although the air cells 1 and 20 have been described as having a columnar shape, they may be formed as a quadratic prism shape or the like. The method of using the air cells 1 and 20 is not limited to the above. Other than a massage machine is also possible. When manufacturing the air cell 20, the method of forming the cell molded body 30 is not limited to blow molding, but may be injection molding or the like.

Further, when the cell molded body 30 is cooled, water may be previously stored in the water tank 31 and the cell molded body 30 may be loaded therein. Further, the use of the water tank 31 at the time of cooling the cell molded body 30 is not limited in itself. For example, liquefied gas, cold water, cold air or the like may be injected into the cell molded body 30 or the cell molded body 30 may be loaded into the freezer. It is also possible to do so.

After the bellows are formed as the cell compact 30 and the bellows are stretched and cooled, the cell compact 30 is heated again at a required time and heated to a predetermined temperature.
Then, it is also possible to make a procedure to shrink the bellows. This is convenient when the manufacturing process is divided in the middle.

[0038]

As is apparent from the above description, the air cell according to the present invention in which the curve elongation is caused, when adopted in a footrest or the like of a chair type massage machine,
It is possible to use the finger pressure while pressing the leg to the bottom surface in the concave portion, so that there is no restriction on the mounting position of the air cell, and the structure as a footrest can be reduced in size and simplified. Further, since it is not necessary to give a slow relationship to the inflation timing for each mounting position of the air cell, there is no complication in terms of control.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the case of using the footrest of a chair-type massage machine, and in many cases, it is possible to eliminate various restrictions as the structure of the air cell mounting portion, and it is possible to exert a reliable and sufficient pressing force directed in an oblique direction. Therefore, it can be said that the versatility as an air cell can be improved accordingly. On the other hand, in the air cell of the present invention in which the bellows contracted state is maintained as a normal state, it is not necessary to provide a compression urging means when the internal air is discharged, so that the structure of the air cell around the mounting portion is reduced. And simplification is possible. Then, such an air cell is obtained by a manufacturing method according to the present invention in which a bellows-shaped cell molded body having an elongated shape is formed, and then the bellows is contracted and cooled, which is simple, quick, and low in cost. .

If a water tank capable of accommodating the cell molded body is used at the time of cooling the cell molded body, a leak test of the air cell can be performed in parallel with or subsequent to the cooling step, and the manufacturing process of the air cell is partially simplified. Can be

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an air cell according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a chair-type massage machine using the air cell of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front sectional view showing a first acupressure part of the footrest shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front sectional view showing a second acupressure part of the footrest shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a side view showing an air cell according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing an air cell according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a partially crushed side view showing an air cell according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing another air cell according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a process of manufacturing the air cell shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 air cell (the one that expands the curve) 20 air cell (the one where the contracted state is normal)

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An air cell which is capable of performing a massage operation by expansion and contraction due to supply and discharge of air, wherein a curve expansion occurs in which an expansion direction changes obliquely during expansion from a contracted state. 2. The cell has a bellows structure on its outer periphery, and the curve can be extended by providing a difference in allowable extension between the opposite bellows on opposite sides in the extending direction. The air cell according to claim 1, wherein 3. The air cell according to claim 2, wherein the number of bellows formed is asymmetric between the opposite regions on both sides in the extending direction on the outer periphery of the cell, so that the difference in the allowable extension amount is generated. 4. An air cell in which a massage operation is enabled by expansion and contraction by supply and discharge of air, wherein the outer periphery of the cell is formed to have a bellows structure, and the contracted state of the bellows is a cell forming material itself. An air cell, wherein the air cell is held in a normal state by the air cell. 5. A method of manufacturing an expandable and contractible air cell having a bellows structure on an outer peripheral portion thereof, wherein a cell molded body formed into a shape in which the bellows is elongated is held at a predetermined temperature while being heated. A method for manufacturing an air cell, comprising: contracting a bellows; and thereafter cooling while keeping the bellows in a reduced shape to make the bellows contracted to a normal state. 6. A method of manufacturing an expandable and contractible air cell having a bellows structure at an outer peripheral portion thereof, comprising:
The number of bellows formed was made asymmetric, and the bellows were stretched and formed into a molded cell. And making the state in which the bellows is contracted normal. 7. The method for producing an air cell according to claim 5, wherein a water tank capable of storing the cell molded body is used when cooling the cell molded body.